Dual
by Alidiabin
Summary: Ziva is both American and Israeli, she knows that in her heart right until the day she dies.


**Title: **Dual**  
Fandom: **NCIS**  
Author: **Alidiabin**  
Words: **1,105**  
Disclaimer: **I own nothing**  
Warnings/ Spoilers: **General S7/8**  
Parings:** TIVA esque. **  
Summary: **She would always be a citizen of two countries. Both Israel and America.

_**Dual**_

According too two different documents Ziva David is a citizen of two different countries. Israel is her country of birth. America is on her passport. Ziva David knows that in her heart she is a citizen of both countries.

She loves America. She loves the freedom of her adopted country. She loves that she does not see nineteen year olds on street corners with Uzis at their waists. She loves how she can walk down the street and not have to hope to a God whose existence she seriously doubts, that the café she steps into will not get blown up. In America Ziva David is safe. In America Ziva David is not restricted; she is not forced to do anything. If she wants to walk down the street in her pyjamas no one will judge, though they will all laugh. In America she chooses when she fights, in Israel the fight was everyday.

Still whenever she hears of a bombing or terrorist threat anywhere from Eilat to Jerusalem she stands in front of the small television in her apartment or wide screen in the pumpkin walled squad room and prays. Her heart aches. Her soul years to go back and stand in the dusty desert. She lets a single tear fall when she sees a coffin on the news carrying an innocent eighteen year old with the blue and white Israeli flag draped on top of it.

She dreams of Israel, of the tree lined street she spent her childhood chasing Tali down, of her school. Then her dreams turn so violently against her; she remembers Talis death. She remembers the smell, the screaming, the fire and Tali's blackened backpack. She remembers the unusual and unseasonal rain that suddenly fell in Tel Aviv as a cruel angry God took Ziva David's only sunshine away. Ziva remembers standing in the road as the rain washed the scars of the bombing away. She returned to her father's beige walled office soaked and determined to get who had taken Tali away.

Despite being an American, for two days in May Ziva is an Israeli. On the fallen soldiers' Memorial Day, she remembers her many friends who had died on the line of duty for the State of Israel for the blue and white flag. She thinks of her father's father killed in the 1948 War of Independence, a man who died fighting for a country for his young sons and future grandchildren. Ziva thinks of the pity it is that no great-grandchildren will live in the land Adam David fought for, as the last remaining David will not continue the family line. It is then she thinks of Tali, she often thinks of Tali especially when she thinks of Israel. Tali would be proud of her she hopes.

On the day after Israeli Independence Day, she stands in her kitchen making tea and sings the haunting melody of Ofra Hazaras 'Jerusalem of Gold', though it is not the national anthem of Israel, it means much more to many Israelis including Ziva. She remembers singing it in her mother Rivka's kitchen with Tali and Rivka, full of pride.  
"Your goanna be singing that in your old folk's home when you're one hundred and one" Tony jokes as she hands him a cup of coffee in her apartment after they fell asleep on her couch watching movies.

She celebrates American Independence Day too, she has no choice. Abby drags them to a hill which apparently has the best view of the city she watches in awe at the flashing lights. She digs her hand into Tony's at the sound of the bangs, as however long she lives in America, the bangs with always sound like bombs to her. Those bombs will always make her think of Tali of the only person in Israel she misses. Tony's hand rubs hers as they echo in the sky.

In America she makes a promise to herself. She's going to live to one hundred. In Israel, she would not have thought of such silly notions. Too many things can go wrong, bombs, bullets, acts of terror or the ultimate sin when it all gets too much. Ziva David succeeds. She outlives Gibbs who dies a hero's death, Ducky who dies in his sleep and the other members of her 'family' each die peacefully in deaths she does not have to avenge.

Tony is right, at one hundred and one she is sitting in her nursing home. Her favourite nurse a young Ethiopian woman named Bere lets herself into Ziva's room.  
"Ziva I have some news" she cries as she pulls out her tablet from her pocket. Ziva fiddles with her glasses and put her e-book down. "I'm going to be an American" Bere cries as Ziva reads the letter of acceptance of Bere as an American citizen.  
"Do you feel American in your heart?" Ziva asks, Bere lets a smile cross her ebony features as she helps Ziva move slowly.  
"Yes" Bere replies with youthful enthusiasm.  
"Then you already are American" Ziva replies. She fiddles with her I-pod and the haunting melody of Jerusalem of Gold plays, she sings along. Bere laughs.  
"One day I will teach you about my countries music" she utters. Another song comes on. The American National Anthem. Ziva and Bere sing in harmonic unison. A blonde haired Nurse looks in on the two women and smiles, humming the same tune as she walks past.

Bere sneaks Ziva out for her citizenship ceremony. The blonde nurse shakes her head as Bere sneaks Ziva into a yellow taxi cab, Zimmer frame in tow.  
"The last time I did this" Ziva utters as the jump into a taxi-cab "I was the other side of fifty" Bere laughs.

Ziva says the oath again along with all the other new Americans with just as much pride as when it was first taken almost seventy years ago. She watches with pride a Bere lets a massive smile cross her face.  
"I'm an American" Bere cries with absolute joy.

Bere and her sing songs from both their countries as they sneak Ziva back into the old folks home. Then together they sing the American National Anthem with as much pride as the can possibly muster.

Ziva falls peacefully into one last slumber as Bere closes the door of her room. She smiles at the two mini flags in a pencil pot, the American and Israeli flags. She dies knowing that in her heart she is both American and Israeli.

She is buried next to Tony with both the Israeli and American flags across her casket.

**A/N**: As an immigrant myself (from England to New Zealand) I know that you can still feel associated with both countries. My family and I still maintain some Britishness. I realise I could of written the whole kids and picket fence cliché but I put Bere in partly because she's based on a real African Immigrant I know who got something at prize giving and I'm really proud of her, and because I thought it more poignant. Please review.


End file.
